How to Fake It: Bushy Brows—Because Dior Says So

Big brows aren’t even news anymore—it’s just the norm these days that bigger brows are deemed better. As with all trends, some come and go while others stick around, evolving over the seasons. Think about the brows in the ’90s and early noughties—the goal morphed from seriously thin to focusing more on the exaggerated arch. While brows were an important part of the look back then, now they’re the focal point. The brows need to be “on fleek” (incidentally, #browsonfleek has been used 1.4 million times on Instagram, while #brows has been used a jaw-dropping 5.4 million times).

On Google Trends, searches for “brows” have been on a steady and unstoppable incline since 2010, with the search reaching its peak in April 2017. But don’t be hasty in thinking that the interest in brows has started its descent. Dior focused on big brows at its haute couture A/W 17 show in Paris this week, so we can bet that they’ll be in fashion a while longer. But as with all trends that repeat, this is a new iteration: bushy and fluffy, rather than dense and overly filled. The overall effect is youthful and carefree.

“The eyebrows, which are very important for this look, are styled in contrast to the purity of the complexion,” Peter Philips, creative and image director of Christian Dior Makeup, said. “I accentuated them with DiorShow Brow Styler and then set them with the new tinted gel, Diorshow Bold Brow, which gives them a bit of an untamed effect.”

So how do you get bushy, fluffy brows without looking like an extra on Teen Wolf? The key is to still have your brows groomed (ideally threaded by an expert), but when they ask if you want your brows cut, kindly decline. Or ask for the merest hint of a trim just to keep any seriously wayward hairs in check. Essentially, you want length in your brows so you can brush them up, but you don’t want stray hairs beneath, above or at the outer corners, which will just make them look unkempt.

To prevent your brows looking too dense and heavy (read: Instagram-worthy), look to tinted brow gels or light powders to fill in any sparse areas. You can also use pens or pencils to draw on brow hairs for a natural effect, making sure to use a gentle touch. Some tinted gels are packed with small fibres to help pack out and fluff up your brows quickly. Not sure which products to use? Keep scrolling for seven products that will give you fluffy, bushy brows in seconds.

I have to say that when I first used this, I wasn’t impressed (it ends well; stick with me). You dip the brush in the balm and then the loose fibres before packing them into your brows. It’s fiddly and a bit messy, but I persevered. Well, I’ve never gotten so many compliments about my brows in one day. If you’re patient and you want to fake serious brows, you need this.

When it comes to some brows, no amount of pencil or powder will make them look bigger. Use RapidBrow, which extends the time the brow hair stays in the follicle before it sheds so you end up with more hairs and denser brows.